We pick you up at the airport in either Kingston or Montego Bay and transfer you to your accommodation. If we booked the accommodation, then we will assist with check-in.
Enjoy your welcome dinner.
The Jamaican culture class will give you an overview of the most crucial aspects of the Jamaican culture, including our history, currency, music, the way of life of the typical Jamaican, and much more.
You will also receive a fun yet informative lesson on Patois, which is a local dialect spoken here. You will learn greetings, gender pronouns, and words and phrases you will likely hear before you leave the island.
Food is a major aspect of Jamaican culture. Included in your Jamaica cultural immersion project is a full exploration of the Jamaican cuisine. Begin by sampling fresh fruits that are in season, and seeing some of our local vegetables, ground provisions, herbs, and spices. Next, you will receive an interactive Jamaican cooking class where you prepare a 3-course Jamaican meal, which you will enjoy for your dinner.
We will start with a guided tour through Trench Town, made famous by Bob Marley. Learn about the reggae legend’s exploits in Kingston. Next, we head to the Bob Marley Museum, where you visit the former home of the music icon. You will have a guided tour of the museum and watch an informative video in the theatre. Afterward, you can visit the gift shop to purchase souvenirs.
Our next stop will be to the Peter Tosh Museum to learn about his life and music, before we head to Devon House, for a tour of the mansion built by Jamaica’s first black millionaire. Afterward, you will head to their ice cream shop to enjoy Jamaica’s best ice cream.
Start by touring the newly renovated Fort Charles Museum, which is home to many relics of Port Royal’s former glory. You will head out into the city with a guide who will show you keen points of interest, such as the cemetery, the old hospital, and much more. After the tour, you can stop at Gloria’s Seafood for lunch.
Next, we head to Kingston Craft Market, where you can purchase authentic duty-free crafts and souvenirs at affordable local rates. Browse through the wide variety of shops there, and head out to the back for a look at the passing cargo ships and the shining Caribbean Sea.
We will briefly stop at Fern Gully, home to the largest variety of ferns in the world. Our next stop will be the Green Grotto Cave for a guided tour. Learn how the caves were used by slaves to hide away, and explore the natural limestone cave. Afterward, we stop for lunch in Ocho Rios.
After lunch, we head to the Dunn’s River Falls to climb Jamaica’s most popular attraction. You can swim/sunbathe on the beach, go zip lining, enjoy their water park, and much more.
We start the day’s activities at the Accompong Maroon village to spend a few hours learning about the lives and customs of the Maroons, runaway slaves that managed to evade recapture during colonialism, and who forced their oppressors to grant them their own communities across Jamaica since they could not defeat or recapture them.
Next, we head to learn the sugar and rum-making process on a fully guided tour of the Appleton Estate. You will sample sugar cane, cane juice, molasses, and of course various blends of Appleton Rum. At the end of the tour, you will get a small commemorative bottle of rum, and access to the gift shop where you can shop for a wide variety of souvenirs.
Head into the hills of Montego Bay to spend a few hours in the Rastafarian Indigenous Village to learn all about their way of life. After lunch, we head down to Montego Bay Hip Strip where you can explore, then enjoy the Drs’ Cave Beach, which many people consider to be the best beach in Jamaica.
Near to nightfall, we head to Rose Hall Great House for a tour of the ‘haunted’ mansion made famous by Annie Palmer the wicked witch of Jamaica.
For a change of pace, you will explore a regular community in the parish your group will be staying in (Kingston, Montego Bay, St. Catherine, Ocho Rios, etc.). You can visit schools, churches, children’s homes, shelters, local businesses, health centers, and more, depending on your group’s preferences.
We can also work with the community leaders to facilitate volunteer work, sports clinics, medical testing, training, and other outreach exercises.
This is an opportunity to immerse yourself in a local community and give back.
Visit the National Gallery of Jamaica for a tour of their current collections, attend a local theatre or performance hall, visit the Bank Of Jamaica Money Museum for a history of currency in Jamaica. A visit to the Institute of Jamaica can also be arranged to get a presentation on Jamaica’s history.
Upon the completion of your Jamaica cultural immersion trip, we will take you to the airport safely and on time to catch your flight with your heart full of a newfound understanding of the REAL Jamaica!
